Tag: China

China’s treatment of Canadian nationals threatens respect for rule of law, relations with West: Trudeau
Business, China, World

China’s treatment of Canadian nationals threatens respect for rule of law, relations with West: Trudeau

In a scathing attack against China over the treatment of two Canadian nationals, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that China’s actions threaten both ‘respect for the rule of law’ and Beijing’s relationships with Western nations.“China needs to understand that it is not just about two Canadians. It is about the respect for the rule of law and relationships with a broad range of Western countries that is at play with the arbitrary detention and the coercive diplomacy they have engaged in,” said Trudeau in a press briefing.Canadian nationals – former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor – have been in Chinese detention for over 800 days on espionage charges. Ottawa says that these are retaliatory measures for Canada’s detention of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzho
China to urge US to drop Trump-era sanctions in Alaska meet: Report
China, World

China to urge US to drop Trump-era sanctions in Alaska meet: Report

In the upcoming Beijing-Washington talks in Alaska, it is being expected that China is going to try to persuade the United States to lift the restrictive measures introduced by the previous administration of President Donald Trump.During the negotiations, the Chinese officials are going to propose the re-establishment of regular high-level contacts as well as to schedule an online summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, during the April conference on climate change, according to sources.According to media reports, the US agenda for the upcoming talks differs from the Chinese one: Washington wants to express its concern over the Chinese policy in Hong Kong, the boost of naval activities in the South China Sea, economic pressure on US allies, intellectu...
‘India is well prepared to counter any Chinese cyber-attack’
Asia, China

‘India is well prepared to counter any Chinese cyber-attack’

Acknowledging the rising Chinese threat, the Indian government told the Parliament Standing Committee on Information Technology that the country has robust cybersecurity mechanisms in place and it is well prepared to counter and thwart any Chinese attacks.The government said that it has the cutting-edge technology, standard operating procedures, and processes to tackle such scenarios in a response to questions about the recent Mumbai power outage to a Chinese state-backed firm.On February 28, the US-based cybersecurity firm “Recorded Future” published a report saying it had observed a “steep rise” in the use of resources like malware by a Chinese group called Red Echo to target “a large swathe” of India’s power sector. The report had attributed to the infiltration of Chinese state-backed h
US, Japan share concerns about China’s ‘disruptive’ actions in Indo-Pacific region
China, World

US, Japan share concerns about China’s ‘disruptive’ actions in Indo-Pacific region

In high-level security talks on Tuesday, the United States and Japan shared concerns over China’s “disruptive” activities in the Indo-Pacific region and committed to opposing coercion behaviour toward others in the region.This came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Llyod Austin met in Tokyo with their Japanese counterparts Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi.“The United States and Japan acknowledged that China’s behaviour, were inconsistent with the existing international order, presents political, economic, military, and technological challenges to the Alliance and to the international community,” a joint statement said.The ministers from the two countries committed to opposing coercion and destabilising behaviour toward ot
Xi’s dream project ‘Belt Road Initiative’ in trouble amid China’s shrinking economy
Asia, Business, China, Singapore

Xi’s dream project ‘Belt Road Initiative’ in trouble amid China’s shrinking economy

Due to China’s dwindling economy, President Xi Jinping's dream of setting a new world order seems to have come to a halt after the Covid-19 slowed down the Belt Road Initiative (BRI), pushing it towards becoming financial inviable.According to media reports, Beijing has been forced to cut back on new loans and investments under the BRI due to covid-19 induced economic troubles.According to the Green Belt and Road Initiative Centre, a research organization, Chinese investment has reduced to USD 47 billion in 2020--a whopping slump of 54 per cent in just one year.Wang Xiaolong, director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's International Economic Affairs Department, said 20 per cent of the BRI projects were seriously affected while other 30-40 per cent witnessed adverse impact.China's ec
China’s hybrid-war against India could foment unrest in Kashmir: Expert
Asia, China, Opinion

China’s hybrid-war against India could foment unrest in Kashmir: Expert

India could face another violent civil unrest and massive protests in Jammu and Kashmir if China embarks on another territorial adventure in Ladakh with Pakistan supporting at the Line of Control, according to Abhinav Pandya, founder and CEO of Usanas Foundation, an India-based geopolitical and security affairs think-tank.In an opinion piece, Pandya has said that there is a strong potential for India’s adversaries, i.e., Pakistan, Turkey, and China, to engineer a massive popular resistance movement in Kashmir the near future.“The Kashmir valley has been in turmoil for the last three decades. During this time, it has witnessed a violent anti-India jihadist movement in a social-political milieu that is overwhelmingly radicalized on religious lines and has a strong Pakistani intelligence foot
China’s first potential target is Taiwan: US Commander
China, World

China’s first potential target is Taiwan: US Commander

Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Philip Davidson has said that Taiwan could be the first potential target of Chinese military aggression in the next five to 10 years.His remarks came in response to questions from Republican lawmaker Scott DesJarlais during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on national security challenges on Wednesday. The questions also included what he considers to be the most likely target of Chinese aggression or military action in the next 5 to 10 years.“Given what they’ve said both publicly and over time, and certainly during the tenure of Chairman Xi Jinping, I would say Taiwan is the first,” Davidson said.On Tuesday, the commander said that Beijing’s threats toward Taiwan could manifest in the next six years as China seeks to supplant the U.S. lead
India, China agree to convene Senior Commanders meeting to discuss complete disengagement
Asia, China

India, China agree to convene Senior Commanders meeting to discuss complete disengagement

India and China have agreed to convene the 11th round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early date so that the two sides could work towards complete disengagement from the remaining friction areas.The decision came after the 21st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) on Friday.According to Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), both sides agreed that the completion of the disengagement in the North and South Bank of the Pangong Lake provided a good basis for the two sides to work towards early resolution of these remaining issues.The countries reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector and had in-depth discussions on the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector.Th...
EU warns China to tread carefully on Hong Kong electoral reform
China, World

EU warns China to tread carefully on Hong Kong electoral reform

The European Union has warned China to “carefully consider the political and economic implications” of its decision to alter Hong Kong’s electoral system saying that the bloc is “ready to take additional steps” in response to any further serious deterioration of political freedoms and human rights in the city.On March 4, the National People’s Congress in China announced that it would deliberate on amending the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. A decision can be expected by March 11.“If enacted, such reform would have potentially far-reaching negative consequences for democratic principles and democratically elected-representatives in Hong Kong,” the EU said in a statement.The EU further stated that the amendment would also run counter to previous electoral re
Japan to closely monitor China’s increased defense spending
China, World

Japan to closely monitor China’s increased defense spending

Amid China’s incessant attempts to change the status quo of east and south China seas, defense officials in Japan on Sunday said that they intend to closely monitor how China will increase its defense spending this year.As per 2021’s draft budget at the annual session of the National People’s Congress, the Chinese government increased its defense budget by 6.8 per cent from last year to about 209 billion dollars. That’s around four times Japan’s defense budget for fiscal 2021, starting in April.China has been claiming the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and there have been many incidents of incursions of Chinese ships in Japanese territorial waters.Japan controls the islands but China and Taiwan also lay their claim. Japan maintains the islands as an inherent part of its territory, i